Jadeveon Clowney finding his groove in resurgent season with Ravens
Jadeveon Clowney, a South Carolina football legend and highest-rated recruit in program history, is finding health and good play in his 10th year in the NFL.
One would think that his best days are behind him, yet at age 30, Clowney is having his most consistent season yet. He’s found a resurgence in his play as a member of the Baltimore Ravens defense.
There are things fewer more synonymous together than Gamecock football and Clowney. In his final game in the garnet and black, he delivered one of the biggest hits the sport has ever seen.
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After that, he went on to become the school’s second-ever No. 1 overall NFL Draft selection to the Houston Texans.
In his very first NFL game for the Texans, he suffered a knee injury that ends most careers. Doctors also gave him a 50/50 shot at continuing, yet Clowney kept going.
After the surgery, Clowney put together five productive seasons for the Texans and was a Pro Bowler three of those years. He bounced around the next four seasons making stops in Seattle, Tennessee, and then also two years in Cleveland.
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He signed with the Ravens in August and hasn’t looked back. Statistically, he is having a top-three season for his career. Clowney has 8.5 sacks and also 39 tackles in 17 games this season.
“It’s a role that I really enjoy,” Clowney said in a recent interview with Ravens Wired. “I’m glad they pick me in situations and lean on me this late in my career 10 years in.
“This year my goal was to play 18 games. Completing the season has always been my initial goal. I always say that if I can get through the season I know I’ll be at the top, along with a Superbowl.”
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The Ravens will have a break after week 18. The team has already locked up the No. 1 seed in the AFC. So they’ll have a bye week while everyone else plays in the first round of the playoffs. Once Clowney finishes the regular season, he’ll have a chance to compete for a Super Bowl, which would be the icing on the cake to his career.
“I like to thank God because he gave me these extra years,” Clowney said. “It’s been crazy, it’s been a journey throughout the good and the bad.”
